The Panthers opened training camp Wednesday without either of their projected starting tackles. General manager Dan Morgan announced that left tackle Ikem Ekwonu will begin camp on the physically-unable-to-perform list, and the team placed right tackle Taylor Moton on the non-football injury list this week because of a blood clot in his lung, per Pro Football Talk.
Ekwonu tore his patellar tendon in January’s playoff loss to the Rams. Morgan told reporters the rehab is in a good place and that he is optimistic Ekwonu will be back during the regular season, though he set no timeline. Moton’s designation is the newer development, and the more sobering one: he is expected to be out into the regular season, according to Pro Football Talk’s report on Wednesday’s announcements.
That changes the shape of the offensive line question Carolina carried into camp. As recently as this week, the storyline was a genuine left tackle competition between free-agent addition Rasheed Walker and first-round rookie Monroe Freeling, with Moton anchoring the right side. Now the two players brought in to settle one tackle job project as the top options at both. Freeling’s spring usage suddenly reads like preparation: he took second-team left tackle reps and first-team right tackle reps on Moton’s veteran rest days during offseason work.
The Panthers get more runway than most teams to sort this out. As Hall of Fame Game participants, they were among the first teams to have veterans fully report, alongside Arizona — practice begins Thursday, and the August 6 exhibition against the Cardinals gives the line an extra preseason game of live reps. That matters most for Bryce Young, whose evaluation season depends on the pass protection in front of him holding up while the tackle spots get resolved.
The honest read on a rebuilding roster that finally won a division title: depth plans are written for exactly this scenario, and Carolina’s front office spent real resources on tackle insurance. Camp will show whether Walker and a rookie making his NFL debut can cover two spots at once until at least one starter comes back.
